Five teams that could use Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo right now

Five teams that need Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo right now

This is the way it was supposed to go: The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association sign a new collective bargaining agreement, and the moment Gary Bettman and Don Fehr shake hands and sheath their swords, Roberto Luongo zips his suitcase and hops in a taxi bound for the airport. His destination was the only unknown. Florida? Toronto? Anywhere but Vancouver. And yet, here we are, almost a quarter of the way into the lockout-shortened season, and Luongo remains on the West Coast, even though several teams could use the 33-year-old in their nets. Here is a breakdown of five potential destinations. (Note: As we have learned over the last month, this list can change, and quickly.)

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Washington Capitals
Standings: 15th in Eastern Conference (2-7-1, five points)Starter: Michal Neuvirth/Braden HoltbyDegree of need: Four Luongos (out of five)The skinny: Canucks general manager Mike Gillis sprayed gasoline into a bonfire of rumours on Sunday afternoon by watching a Capitals game from the press box in Washington. He said he later called Capitals general manager George McPhee to apologize. Why? “Well, because people went crazy when we were in the press box there,” Gillis told the Team 1040 in Vancouver on Tuesday. “You know, George’s team is having a slow start, and I just wanted to make sure he knew that we were only there to catch a game.” Gillis told the radio station he was in Washington as part of a swing through eastern markets to scout university players, while also watching teams from the NHL’s Eastern Conference. Washington, by the way, is allowing 3.60 goals a game, which is 27th in the NHL. (Holtby and Neuvirth sit 40th and 30th in the league, respectively, in save-percentage.)

Florida PanthersStandings: 13th in the Eastern Conference (3-5-1, seven points)Starter: Jose Theodore/ Scott ClemmensenDegree of need: Three-and-a-half Luongos (out of five)The skinny: Only one team is allowing more goals, on average, than the Panthers. The pairing of Theodore and Clemmensen conceded an average of 3.67 goals a game through the first nine games of the season. Theodore has allowed at least three goals in four straight starts. In fairness, three of those teams — Tampa Bay, Winnipeg and Buffalo — are among the league’s top-10 scoring teams. But Theodore’s largest bomb was against Philadelphia, in which he allowed three goals on nine shots before being pulled. It has been widely reported that Luongo lives in Florida during the off-season, and that his wife is from the state. Luongo also has some control over where he moves, with a no-trade clause in his contract. The question in Florida has been related to money, of which there is plenty remaining on Luongo’s contract, which runs for another nine seasons after this one.

Toronto Maple LeafsStandings: Seventh in Eastern Conference (5-5-0, 10 points)Starter: James Reimer/Ben ScrivensDegree of need: Two Luongos (out of five)The skinny:Before the first puck dropped, Toronto’s need might well have been a full five Luongos out of five, but several factors seem to have cooled the speculation. First, new Leafs general manager Dave Nonis began training camp with what reads like a very clear bit of messaging to Gillis. “There’s only going to be a change in goal if we can upgrade at that position without severely hampering the ability to play in front of that goaltender, and without taking away very good young players from our reserve list,” he said after the lockout ended last month. The second factor is that despite venturing into the new season without an experienced goaltender, the Leafs have actually reduced their goals-against — to 2.90 a game, down from 3.16 last season. Reimer allowed four goals in his last start (a loss to Carolina), but his save-percentage (.917) probably merits a longer look.

Philadelphia Flyers
Standings: 12th in Eastern Conference (4-6-0, eight points)Starter: Ilya BryzgalovDegree of need: One-and-a-half Luongos (out of five)The skinny: Last month, several reports suggested the Flyers had become surprise entrants to the sweepstakes. “That made me chuckle,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren told the Philadelphia Daily News. “It’s safe to say those rumors aren’t true. They have no basis or merit.” Philadelphia opened the season with three straight losses — and has won in only four of its first 10 — but Bryzgalov (.923 save-percentage) has not been the core of that slow start.

Vancouver CanucksStandings: Third in Western Conference (5-2-2, 12 points)Starter: Roberto Luongo/Cory SchneiderDegree of need: Two Luongos (out of five)The skinny: How is this for a curve ball? Not only does Luongo appear to have wrested the starting job back from his understudy, he was on Monday named the NHL’s third star of the week for going 2-0-1, with a save-percentage of .963. So what of it, Mr. Gillis? “Cory is a bright young guy,” Gillis told the Team 1040. “These are very unique circumstances: A long lockout, a shortened season … and [Schneider] knows our level of commitment to him, he knows how much we believe in him. And I know when he gets in the net next, he’s not going to want to give it up, just like Roberto.” And Mr. Schneider? “As a pro, you accept that,” Schneider said, in The Province. “If you’re being outplayed, somebody’s going to take your job and it’s as simple as that. Nothing is given and nothing is guaranteed in this world.”